Report

I spent the summer of 2004 working as a public relations intern for Mercy Corps in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. A small, mountainous country, landlocked and with a predominantly agricultural economy, Kyrgyzstan shares borders with: China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Historically, the Kyrgyz have been a nomadic people and as a result Kyrgyzstan is renowned for the beauty of its scenery. Over 90% of the country is mountainous with glaciers, alpine meadows, semi-arid regions, forests and several mountain lakes, the largest of which is Lake Issyk Kul or "warm lake". Kyrgyzstan's exotic wildlife includes: Porcupines, Lynxes, wild boar, brown bear, wild goats and the rare snow leopard.  Bishkek, the capital is a vibrant city with a wide array of cultures from the Central Asia region and other parts of Asia.  The Kyrgyz people are very hospitable and their local dishes are renowned.

I always wanted to work with an international NGO and see how it would impact my life. Given my interest in International Development, an internship with an NGO was an ideal way to see the underpinnings of development work first-hand. Through the Coca-Cola World Citizenship Program, I found a position with Mercy Corps in Kyrgyzstan. Mercy Corps is an international non-governmental organization that helps in building sustainable communities through its various programs that include: micro lending, disaster preparedness, and emergency relief services to assist people affected by conflict.

In Kyrgyzstan, I was responsible for developing and launching a public relations campaign for a consolidation of five micro-credit organizations affiliated with Mercy Corps into one financial entity.  The five micro-credit funds serviced over 10,000 customers in major cities and rural areas in Kyrgyzstan with a total combined asset base of $4 million.

The bulk of my work was centered on Public Relations and Marketing. I was tasked with building local staff capacity in communication and public relations.  I accomplished this task by developing a training manual and conducting training sessions on effective communication and presentation skills. 

Through my various tasks as an intern, I was able to witness the resilience and resourcefulness of the Kyrgyz people under harsh economic conditions.  Accompanying Mercy Corp’s loan officers to the Bazaar (market) as they visited existing clients and canvassed new ones, truly opened my eyes to the nuances of micro lending and product marketing.

Perhaps my most memorable moment was when I accompanied Mercy Corps’ program officers on a site visit to five schools and an orphanage in the town of Balykchy, an economically depressed community, three hours drive from Bishkek. I saw how, faced with lack of funding, the school administrators were working hard and remained committed to the academic and social well-being of their students, some of whom, came from very poor homes or had been abandoned by their parents. 

Overall, this internship exceeded my expectations!  My career aspiration is to work in the developing world after completion of my MSC degree in International Development and Education, so this experience was the perfect bridge between where I am now and where I want to be.

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